Lonely Meets Lonlier
by Sweeterthansugar
Summary: Jack is used to his role as a guardian, but it can still be a bit lonely. One snow day, he meets a strange girl that may be even lonlier than he is. Takes place after movie.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Jack Frost's the name. Making winter a snowy wonderland is my game. It's a pretty big gig for a lone teen boy, but hey it isn't like I have friends or anything to keep me busy. I'm not a loner by choice, though. It's kind of hard to make friends when you aren't supposed to talk to them or touch them or basically interact with them in any way, except for our "guardian duties." I have my ways around that, but I've been trying to not cause trouble twenty-four hours a day. Twenty-three is plenty.

So that's why this one day was so important to me. It started like any other. I coasted around on my staff and came to settle in a tree to admire my handiwork. Fresh snow covered the small town I had decided to live in for a while.

People were wandering around chatting or on various errands. It was pretty boring overall and I was considering starting some trouble when a small figure caught my eye.

Near the middle of the town was a slender girl. She seemed to be about my age. Well, my age I was stuck at at least. She caught my eye because she wasn't acting like the rest of the town's inhabitants. Her thin frame bobbed to some kind of music. I could make out her lips creating mists in the air as she whispered lyrics. The rest of her face was hidden beneath a black hood. The jacket fell beneath her hips, seeming way too big for such a tiny thing. The ends of her pants flowed and brushed the snow from her path as she twirled and danced about. Everyone else seemed to ignore her, but she commanded my attention.

Lightly, she jumped up onto an icy ledge by where the gardens usually were, but my frost cloaked them at the moment. Her small shoe covered feet darted across the ledge as her lips continued making the lyrics I couldn't hear. Suddenly, she lost her footing and fell back into a snowbank. I jumped down from my perch and flew over to where she lay, but she was fine. She threw her head forward, freeing it of the hood and laughed. It was a light and happy sound that fit my winter wonderland. Now I could see her face. Snow was dusted over her clothes and her brown hair that had trapped sunshine streaking it. Her complexion was pale making her seem at home in the snow. She fell back and laughed again. "Well, well, Frost. Looks like you're doing more than just biting at my nose or making pretty snow scenes."

This made me freeze (no pun intended). People can't see me, except for kids who believe in me, so why was she talking to me? She was easily in her teens and too old by what I thought were the limits of being a kid. Her eyes closed, hiding the brown centers. "The snow is so beautiful today. Well, it always is, but freshly fallen snow is the best, especially the fluffy kind like this! I love this kind of snow!" Pale fingers skimmed through my snow and I watched mesmerized. What was with this girl? She seemed a few snowflakes short of a blizzard by the way she was acting, but her eyes had seemed kind and smart, betraying the idea.

"There you are!" The girl and I turned to see three boys that didn't look too friendly to me. They were harassing a smaller boy, clearly being punks. I had just finished a snowball, when one flew out and hit the back of the leader's head. All five of us turned to the girl. She simply made a misleadingly innocent face. "Oops..."

The leader stepped forward, his arm passing through mine as he pointed at her. "You're not getting away with that!"

Her innocent smile stretched into a cocky grin. "Yeah? Sounds like a challenge."

They were really mad now. "Let's get her!" They took off toward the girl faster than I expected.

She smiled and I saw a hint of the mischievousness in her eyes that when it shone in my eyes, Bunny usually was quick to lose his temper. "Gotta catch me first." With that, she had scrambled up the snowbank, with an odd amount of grace, and was off like a shot. I heard her distantly yell, already putting a decent bit of distance between her and the boys. "Winter don't fail me now!

I don't know why exactly, but this whole situation made me mad. The girl had been complimenting me and my snow and "talking" to me and they ruined it! The two had scaled the slope, but as the third climbed I let some of the snow get slushy. Slushy snow usually wasn't one of my favorites, but it made his footing loose and he knocked himself out on the ledge. I chuckled and flew off after the others.

It only took me a moment to find them. The girl was sliding with ease on the ice as the boys struggled. She grabbed a pole whipping herself down a side alley, the ice having sped her up. One boy managed to scramble off the ice and dart after her, but the other lost his footing at the turn and slid forward into a pile of snow. I held my stomach laughing. This girl was a blast! I followed after them after a moment, not wanting to lose them.

It took me a bit longer to find them this time. She was standing watching as he stood near a tree. They were on the outskirts of town, at the edge of the woods. "No where left to run." He glared at her, his chest heaving.

I must admit I was pretty curious what she was going to do next, but she just crossed her arms and smirked back, not even breathing hard. "Winter is my season. You should know that, dude, as a heads-up."

That just seemed to make him more mad. "Yeah, right! You're so freaking weird! No one is here to save you, dummy!"

That was my cue. I landed on a branch over his head and bounced, knocking free the snow that clung to the branches. It fell on him in a heap and I couldn't help, but grin, leaning against my staff innocently. "Oops...did little old me do that?" I spun my staff in one hand and walked along the branch. "I can be suchhh a klutz..."

I glanced over as I heard laughing. The girl was doubled over. After a moment of laughing, she straightened and looked up at me. It sounds crazy, but it seriously felt like she could see me. "Thanks, Jack Frost..." With that, she darted off into the woods.

The teen stuck his head out of the snow and yelled after her. "You're crazy! Jack Frost isn't real you, idiot!" Okay. Ouch. That hurt a little. I knocked some more snow down the back of his shirt before I flew after the girl. This was not looking to be my hour off no trouble making. Oh, well...

It didn't take me long to find her. The trees were bare except for my snow and her black jacket stood out. She was sitting beside the cold pond, not yet frozen, and I noticed she was writing in some kind of notebook. Her brow furrowed in concentration and I landed on the middle of the lake to look over at her. The water frosted beneath my feet and she looked up.

We both froze. She was staring at my left foot, which had frosted the ice closest to her. It seemed like an eternity passed before her misty whisper broke the silence. "...Jack...?"

Well, this was an interesting turn. I took another step forward, frosting as I went. Her eyes widened and very slowly she raised her head until she was looking right at me. Before I could even begin to get excited about that, though, she dropped her gaze back to her book.

"Thank you for helping me earlier." Her voice was soft and shy as if not to disturb the forest's peace.

"You're welcome." It took me a moment to remember she couldn't hear me and then I felt stupid for saying it.

That's about how the rest of afternoon went. She drew and wrote in her notebook and I settled on the ice to watch her. She got really intense when she had to put the finishing touches on a drawing. Once in a while she'd hold out her book to show me her drawing. The way she just held it open for the world to see made me certain she couldn't see me.

She really was quite talanted. In the book there were flowers covered in frost, animals with snow caught in their fur, trees with branches weighed down with snow, and houses with icy windows and billowing smoke. She'd explain where she had seen something or describe the picture out loud, but it really felt like she knew I was sitting there and listening. I leaned my cheek on my staff and listened politely with a smile. Even though I knew I could leave and she'd never know, this was a nice change of pace and she was a pretty sweet girl.

After a while of this, I felt my cheek sliding against my staff sleepily. It was pretty late. Us guardians can go without sleeping, but I would get in the habit of napping, because I guess it made me feel a little human. So, I'd get tired and sleepy. Before my eyes could succumb to the sleep and close, I saw the girl glance up as if something had caught her attention in my direction. My eyelids were so heavy with sleep I didn't bother looking to see what it was...

My eyes flew open and I sat straight up. I glanced around and realized I'd fallen asleep. Crap! Wait... why weren't my clothes wet? Well, they were a little, but hardly. What the...how?

I glanced around and saw a girl sitting nearby. It took a minute for my brain to thaw enough for me to remember. She was curled up in the snow, her jacket draped over her like a blanket. I stood and walked over to her, crouching beside her sleeping form. She seemed so tiny in the snow like that... My eyes spotted an icicle beside her and I reached for it, wondering how it got there, when I saw something that froze me and made my heart race.

When I had reached for the icicle, I had put my other hand down for balance. My hand was on her jacket.

I could _feel_ it...

She was a teenager! How could i? I skimmed my hand along it, feeling the soft material when I realized something even more shocking. My hand as it followed her hood, had accidentally brushed her shoulder.

I had _felt_ her shoulder...

How was I touching this girl? How? My heart and mind raced as I carefully touched the tips of her hair. It was softer than it had looked, just like the jacket had been. Suddenly, she stirred and I pulled back, but the movement made the jacket slip off her shoulder. I moved to fix it when something white against her back caught my eye.

It definitely wasn't snow. It kind of looked like a... No...there's no way that's what it could be... Well, that made me decide I was going to figure this out or my name wasn't Jack freaking Frost.

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**Well, there's the first chapter of my story! I haven't managed to see the whole movie all the way through, but it's extremely addicting so I decided to write a story. As always, if I go out of character let me know! Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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I flitted from tree to tree, snow trailed behind me like a white cape. It was pretty damn misleading, though, considering I had been such a coward yesterday. I paused on a tree, leaning my hand on the rough bark as I thought back.

The girl had stirred and I had run. Well, _flown_ is more accurate. I took off and hid behind a tree, heart pounding. She had sat up, running a hand through her messy hair and yawned. Sleepy after her nap, I guess. I watched as she scooped up her jacket and ran off into the forest, keeping care to keep the jacket wrapped around her.

After I was sure she was gone, I flew down to where she had been napping. There was a slight mark in my otherwise smooth snow, but nothing else. I started to turn when the sun shone through the clouds and caught my eye. In the slight depression, blending in perfectly with the white snow, was a pure white feather. I pinched it between my thumb and index finger. It was a perfectly white feather, but I hadn't seen any solid white birds around here that would fit the feather's owner and none were big enough for such a feather. Weird... Quickly, I slipped it into my pocket and flew back to town. Nothing took my mind off things better than a good snow day.

* * *

I shook my head, breaking out of the memory. Why was I thinking about her anyway? She was just some weird girl. It was already noon and I hadn't seen any sign of her. She was probably long gone. I crossed my arms and leaned my back on the trunk sulking.

Just then, a musical voice floated up to my ears. "Walking in a winter wonderland..."

"Guess I spoke too soon." I looked down in the town square to see the girl skipping about, not a care in the world. Somehow she didn't seem to mind the cold or my snow. Her outfit was basically the same, except instead of having her hair hang loosely, it had a huge clip holding it up against the back of her head.

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire." I leapt to another tree to watch her. A smirk spread across her face as she continued to sing. "Jack Frost nipping at your nose..." I couldn't help but chuckle at that. It was like she knew I was listening.

Out of no where, we heard a faint sighing and looked over. The tiny boy she had helped yesterday was standing nearby and looking like the definition of bored. Before I could blink, the girl was crouching in front of him. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

He looked at her with huge eyes. "We don't have anything to do..." I raised my head and saw other kids, all looking bored, at different areas, but hardly any seemed to be doing anything besides sitting. Why weren't they playing together? She looked back to the boy. "Why won't you guys play together, hun?"

Fortunately, he seemed to want to talk to her. "Cause it's cold and snowy and no one has any idea what to do..." He pouted. "Snow is no fun..."

I felt my hands angrily grip my staff tighter. Okay, ouch...

The girl just grinned. "Wintertime no fun? Oh goodness...you are so wrong..." She ruffled his hair and he had that look of wonder on his face that only innocent children can manage to have. She strolled over to sit by the fountain and raised her voice enough for the other kids to hear, making them turn to her voice. "You shouldn't say that. You'll hurt his feelings you know..." Her voice had taken on a singsongy sweet quality and it drew the kids in closer. She sat at the edge of the fountain and they all sat on the ground in front of her to listen. I flew over and sat on the fountain a little ways off to listen, because somehow I felt like I didn't belong right in their little circle, but her voice caught my ears. "Come on. Everyone gather on close..." Her gaze drifted over the crowd and I could have swore her eyes flickered to me for a moment. Had I imagined it? Should I join them? Still, I felt hesitant, but I floated over and sat closer, though not right at her side. I left a few feet of space because I still felt I don't know. Hesitant? Nervous? Shy...? Luckily,this seemed like enough because she turned back to the group. "So kids, you shouldn't say bad things about winter, alright? It'll hurt his feelings."

A thin girl in a fluffy maroon coat piped up. "Hurt whose feelings?"

The girl at the fountain dramatically faked surprise, which made me chuckle. "You don't know?" A bunch of tiny heads shook in response and she smiled.

"Well, Jack Frost's feelings of course!" Huh. I rested a foot up on the ledge and leaned on my staff as I listened, watching her curiously. "He's the one who makes winter happen after all. It'd make him sad if you say you don't like his handiwork."

Another girl, this one seemed one of the oldest of the group, probably around eleven or so, crossed her arms and I could practically feel her attitude radiating off her. "Jack Frost isn't real. That's stupid. Why hasn't anyone seen him, then?" A few kids nodded their heads in agreement.

My hands clenched on my staff and I was so tempted to just fly off and go have some fun, but then I heard the girl laugh and turned to her angrily wondering why kids not believing in me was funny, but something about her expression made me pause. She leaned in closer to the kids and they leaned toward her in turn. "You have to believe in him to see him. I don't know why you don't believe in him, though... The signs are all around you..."

One of the smaller boys raised his hand and spoke in a small voice. "What kinda signs?"

She smiled and tapped her chin as if thinking. "Well for one thing, have you ever felt icy fingers on the back of your neck? Those are Jack Frost's fingers." I grinned and took my cue, floating through the crowd of kids, letting my fingers brush against the back of their necks. Each kid shivered and I smiled as I saw their eyes widen. They all began to look around. After each and every kid was looking around, I glanced at the girl. She was smiling at the kids' reactions and seemed so...happy. With a smirk I brushed my fingers against the back of her neck too. Gotta admit it made me chuckle to see her shiver as well. With a smirk still firmly on my face, I landed, standing beside her, eyeing the crowd of kids. Her smile grew as she innocently asked them a question. "What are you all looking for?"

They all seemed hesitant to say it, but the little boy blurted out what they were all thinking. "I just felt Jack Frost's fingers on my neck!"

She blinked and acted surprised. "I thought you guys didn't believe in him."

They were all silent for a moment, but then I noticed the boy she had helped yesterday. He was staring at me and tugged on her sleeve. "Amala..." He looked at the girl. Oh. So that was her name. It was kinda different, but it was...pretty. "I see him..." All the other kids turned to look where he was looking and slowly looks of recognition spread across the crowd. Even Little Miss Attitude was staring wide-eyed at me.

Suddenly, they were all crowded around me chattering all at once. I heard a handful of comments, a few outburts, and a lottt of questions. They were crowding around me so much, I lost my balance and sat, hard, on the fountain ledge. A slender hand reached out and touched my shoulder to steady me. "Easy there, Frosty." Goosebumps rose on my flesh as I felt warm breath ghost over my skin. Slowly, I turned to see I had nearly fallen into Amala, but she just smiled at me kindly, clearly amused at all my sudden attention.

The kids were still chattering excitedly. I only managed to catch one question in the midst of all their talking. "Can you really control snow?"

I scanned the area and saw a radio on a nearby porch. "You guys want to do something fun?" I grinned at their nodding heads. The wind carried me over their small forms and I landed, pointing at the radio. "Ever dance in the snow?" I personally didn't see what was so exciting about it, but it seemed like something a lot of people liked to do. There were plenty of times that I saw people dancing outside as it snowed.

The older girl jumped to feet and hurried to the radio. "My daddy won't mind if we borrow this for a bit." She tuned it and finally found one of those bubblegum rock songs that becomes a hit overnight and gets endlessly stuck in your head.

"Perfect!" Amala laughed and bounded out among the kids. She began to twist and turn, moving her hips and arms this way and that. I leaned on my staff and watched. She was surprisingly graceful and was a decent dancer. Soon, the kids had joined in and were dancing like crazy, tiny limbs flailing. They didn't have her level of grace nd rhythm, but they were having just as much fun as her, if not more and it was fun to watch.

That's when I saw a few of the girls whispering with a few of the boys. The girls hurried over, tugging my hoodie and pushing me toward Amala as the boys did the same to her. "Jack should dance with Amala!"

I just chuckled. "I don't dance." They stopped, looking at me like I had just grown a second head.

"Oh, come on." We all turned to Amala. She took a step forward so her body was turned away slightly and extended a hand to me. Her voice was low when she spoke. "Don't tell me your afraid of a little dancing..." I saw the challenge in her eyes. They told me I didn't have to dance, but questioned why I wouldn't. Fine, them.

The smirk formed on my face a second before I took her hand, resting my staff on the ledge. "You'll regret saying that." Distantly I heard the kids squealing with happiness and the song change. She pulled me into the circle of kids and began dancing again, freeing my hand.

She batted her lashes, but it wasn't in a flirty way. It was in more a playful mocking way. "Bring it..."

I'm over three hundred years old (three hundred and twelve to be exact, but who's counting?). It's been a while since I danced. I never even danced when I was alive, well hardly did anyway. So the kids started laughing when I attempted to dance. Great. Feeling pretty bummed, I turned, ready to leave, when a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned and Amala gave a sympathetic smile. "Here..." She didn't laugh, just took my icy hands and began helping me move to the song. I didn't move the way she did (no guy should ever sway his hips like that), but I watched her and started to get the rhythm down. After a few moments, we were dancing together. She'd bob under my arms or raise one above her head to spin. Basically she was leading the whole song. I had to have some respect! So, I tried a move I had seen once. I snapped my arm so she was moved all the way out, then pulled her in and dipped her just as the song ended. As the last note trailed off, I blew the hair off her forehead with a cold wind, watching as snowflakes got trapped on the brown strands. "Consider it brought." It surprised me when my voice came out low and husky. Where did that come from?

She righted herself and tucked a snowy strand of hair behind her ear. I hadn't even realized, but during the song I had made it start to snow. The kids were laughing and slowly spreading out as they played in the snow. I heard them yelling thanks and about how much fun they had had, but my attention was on the girl in front of me. She had opened her mouth and tilted back her head to catch my snowflakes on her tongue. It didn't even seem like she noticed me watching her. She did, however, notice the small boy who had first seen me and crouched down to look at him. "What's wrong Benjy?" His small face looked positively miserable.

"I...I wanna build a snowman...but I'm too little..."

"Why not build a small snowman, then?"

He shook his head. "Nuh uh. Everyone makes big snowmans! I wanna make a big snowman..."

I glanced at Amala and her expression was sad, but she scooped him up and grinned. "I'll help you then!"

Benjy was instantly excited at this offer. "Really?!" She nodded and set him down. Then her face took on a contemplative quality.

"Why don't we all build one? A huge snowman!" Benjy grinned and ran to gather the other kids. In moments, everyone was gathering snow and making the base. We made it near the fountain so the kids could stand on the ledge to make the second part. After we finished the head, the kids agreed to let Benji put it onsince it was his doing we weremaking the snowman. So I held him and flew him up to the top. It was one freaking big snowman...probably over ten feet tall. The kids put on the finishing touches, like the arms and buttons, then everyone was cheering happily. It had been one fun snow day I gotta say...

A female voice rang out and after that and, one by one, the kids' parents called them home for dinner and to warm up. Finally, it was down to Benjy, Amala, and me. His dad called him, but first he gave us each a hug. Amala squeezed him close whereas mine was slightly more hesitant. I saw him lean in to whisper something to Amala and she giggled. "Go on, silly!" He giggled and hurried on home.

I watched until he had disappeared inside before turning back to Amala to find she was...gone? I looked around to see her disappearing toward the woods. I flew up high then flew toward her. It only took a moment to catch her. "So, where you going?" I floated on my back backwards, wrists resting on my staff.

Amala laughed and kept walking. "You laugh a lot."

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "And you make snow a lot. It's who we are, Frosty."

"Okayyyy..." I flipped around and walked beside her. "So when did you first see me? Could you see me yesterday?" Amala looked at me confused and nodded slowly. My jaw nearly hit the snow. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She just shrugged. "I figured you knew. I _had_ been talking to you after all. You were awfully shy so I let it go. Seemed to me you'd talk when you were ready."

My feet slowed to a halt. I had seemed shy? Huh. That was not one of my usual traits.

She walked forward a few steps so she stood a little in front of me. Her voice was soft and serious. "That's alright, though. I kind of did the same thing. I wasn't ready either. To tell you who I am that is." I heard the faint hiss of a zipper and she started to slide the jacket off her shoulders. "But after seeing you with the kids today...I'm ready now." She slipped the jacket free and it fell to the snow. Beneath it she wore a deep blue jean jacket that seemed soft and broken in long ago, but that wasn't the shocking part.

Slowly, she extended her snow white wings. Yes, her _wings._ They had to have easily cleared twelve feet because each wing looked easily six feet, probably a little more. Nestled on her back between the wings was a quiver of arrows and a slender bow. She slowly turned back to me, her eyes filled with uncertainty before they flickered to the ground. Her hands clung to her arms.

"Are _those...wings?"_ A nod. "You have _wings?!"_ A second nod. My eyes narrowed and I spoke slowly as my hands clenched my staff tighter. "Who, exactly, are you?"

Her gaze raised to mine and I saw she was trembling slightly. "My name is Amala, but most people know me as cupid."

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**And here is chapter two! I was hoping for at least a couple reviews by now, but oh well. I'd hope for at least a few reviews by the time I post the third chapter. More reviews+me=more motivation Well, see ya next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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"So, Amala, I was wondering..."

"Call me Amy."

This made my brow furrow in confusion and I turned to look at her. "Wait...I know I heard the kids call you Amala."

She nodded. "That's right." She must have seen my confusion because she elaborated. "See, every year during Christmas time I come here. I've done that as long as I can remember to be perfectly honest. Anyway, Amala is so old-fashioned and fancy sounding. They've all always known me as Amala, but I wouldn't mind something shorter if you don't mind."

"Alright, then. Amy it is." She smiled in delight and my eyes flickered to the scenery around us. Somehow we had ended up walking through the snowy forest, the light of late afternoon filtering through the canopy. It was really quiet and peaceful, though. The sun's light shone off my snow making it glisten. "Can I ask you something?"

Amy giggled. "You just did."

Riiighttt... "Can I ask you something else..." She began to laugh again so I held up a hand in frustration. "Never mind. I'm just gonna ask."

She smiled and leaned her back on a tree, hands clasped behind her in an innocent way. "So ask." As I considered how to word my question, I took in her appearance again.

When I had searched for her this morning, the day after she had confessed she was cupid to me, she had changed her appearance yet again, insisting 'this was the last costume change' with a strange expression on her face. She had on fitting light pink pants, a light orange tank top and a long long-sleeved white cloak. Overall, she just seemed to blend into the wintry background, a lightly colored spirit floating through my white landscape. Excluding her hair that is. It was now a shimmering purple that fell choppily a little past her jaw. It was a pretty drastic change overall, but somehow it just looked...right.

"Well, I wanted to ask you..." I scratched the back of my head, looking down at my snow. Just spit it out, Jack! "Well, we're throwing a birthday party for Bunny later and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me?" My eyes flicked up to her face nervously.

Her face went from shock to confusion to...upset? "Jack, that's sweet, but I shouldn't. I wasn't invited. It'd be rude to just crash the party."

I waved a hand. "Psh! Bunny wouldn't care. They'd all be fine with it."

"Jack..." Amy pushed off the tree and walked over to me. The snow crunched softly under her peachy sneakers. "It's sweet of you to offer, but you're all guardians. I'm...not. I don't belong there with all of...with all of you."

Was that what was worrying her? "It won't just be us! North's Yetis and elves and all the tooth fairies will be there too. It won't just be guardians." She still didn't look convinced. Guess I was really going to have to convince her. I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Please, Amy? I'm the newest guardian so I'm not as close as they all are. It'd be nice to have someone else to talk to and all. You know? Outside of their little circle?"

That got her. Something flashed across her eyes. "Welllll..." Her eyes darted to where a small bird darted from spot to spot in the snow. "I guess..."

"Yes!" I jumped and punched the air.

I withdrew the snow globe North had given me out of my pocket and was just about to whisper Bunny's Warren to it when Amy placed a hand on the globe making me pause. My eyes looked at her questioningly, but she simply smiled. "Can't exactly go to a birthday party without a present can I? Just give me half an hour and I'll be ready." A nod from me was all it took before she smiled excitedly. "Thanks, Jack!" Before I could even move, she had thrown her arms around me in a quick hug. She smiled and began to run away. I felt my mouth drop open as her cloak flew out and her wings extended, pumping up and down, carrying her off. There was no way I'd ever get used to that...

* * *

Half an hour later, Amy appeared again. She flapped her wings and came to a landing in front of me. The gust her wings made ruffled mour hair and I chuckled. "Finally ready?"

She nodded and held out a pile of feathers interwoven with the tips tied with a sky blue ribbon at the top. "I didn't have wrapping paper."

I snickered. "Creative. What'd you get him?" She looked at me skeptically. "Come on! You can tell me."

"Hmmm...nope." She smiled sweetly. "But I'll give you a hint." I waited for her to speak, but then she closed her eyes and when she opened them they were red.

"Whoa! No way..." Then her eyes closed and when she opened them again they were brown. "How'd you do that?"

"They're my special eyes. When I use them, I can see into a person's heart. I can see all kinds of things, but it's easiest to see who the person cares about the most. That's how I chose Bunny's gift."

I nodded slowly. "Cool...so, um, ready now?" She giggled and nodded. I pulled out the globe and whispered to it as I glanced sideways at Amy. "Take us to...the Warren..." With a smirk, I tossed it in an arc and it burst open, revealing a rainbow portal. "Come on!" I reached over and took her hand, pulling her into the portal.

Apparently, I should have specified because according to the globe, 'take us to the warren' meant drop us into the weaving tunnels that connected it to the rest of the world. We fell nd were immediately sliding along the tunnels crazily fast. Whenever I tried to get my balance, Amy would accidentally slide into me and we'd start sliding again.

I faintly heard her laughing, so I knew she was having fun, but this was...actually it _was_ kind of fun. She slid up the wall and passed me. "I'm gonna beat ya, Snowflake!" Amy grinned at me and I chuckled.

"Bring it!" I pressed my back flat and shot past her. After a moment, she passed me again, her wings cupped under her to slide her faster. We kept alternating until I took a decent lead. I was laughing, until I saw the tunnel's entrance. Near the opening stood Sandy and he wasn't facing our way. "I'm coming in too hot!" I didn't even have the time to appreciate the irony in that, I had too much speed and couldn't get airborne enough to avoid crashing into him.

Suddenly, two slender arms wrapped around my chest from behind and I felt warm breath on my ear. "Don't worry, Jack..."

We shot out of the tunnel and I saw Sandy turn, a look of complete surprise on his face, when I heard a loud noise and felt wind blow past me and we were suddenly in the air over Sandy. Amy flapped and turned, still clinging to me, as she lowered us to the ground. As soon as our feet were on the ground, she let me go and smiled as I turned to her. "You alright?"

I smiled back. "Yeah, I'm cool." She raised an eyebrow.

"I'd hope so."

I rolled my eyes and I turned to Sandy. "Hey, Sandy. Sorry about that." The little guy just shrugged. He never seemed to get particularly mad, which I liked.

"Hey, Sandy..." Amy seemed to be hiding behind me as she greeted the golden man. He waved, but had a sad expression on his face. I looked between the two of them in confusion. Why was Amy suddenly so quiet and timid? The only time I had ever seen Sandy be intimidating was when he had fought Pitch. Now _that_ could make you fear the little guy, but he seemed perfectly fine right now... Weird...

"Jack!" I was suddenly greeted with a body flying into mine, spinning me around. "You came!"

"Wouldn't miss it." I looked at the always ecstatic Tooth Fairy. Her smaller versions suddenly darted into my vision and they all began to chirp and chatter at me in unison. A few fanned themselves or seemed to excitedly talk to each other.

"Girls! Control yourselves!" Tooth shooed them away before she caught sight of Amy. "Jack..." Her demeanor changed to confusion and suddenly her feathers vibrated and she spoke bitterly. "What is _she_ doing here?" I glanced to Amy and saw her grasp one arm and look away, wings drooping dejectedly. Sandy looked at her in sympathy. What was going on? Tooth was never that mean-sounding.

"Ahhh! Jack! You just arrive?" North's huge hand fell heavily on my shoulder and he laughed his hearty laugh.

"Yeah, North. We just got here." That guy was always so crazy and hyped up. It cracked me up.

"We?" His heavy brow furrowed in confusion, until he spied Amy and his eyes widened.

"G'day, mate!" Bunny hopped over, clearly not realizing everyone's stunned and tense expressions. He stood and paused as he took in the scene before him. "What's got everyone so..." His eyes fell on Amy. "Oh..." It could have been my imagination, but I thought I saw her trembling slightly. "What in the bloody hell is she doing here?!" I've never heard a rabbit roar or growl, but this was pretty darn close to whatever I imagined the noise to be.

Amy flinched and there were tears in her eyes. "I...I just thought...I didn't see what harm it would do..."

Bunny leapt forward and stood over her. He was over six feet and I'd be amazed to find out Amy was even five and a half feet, so he towered over her. "Rack off..." His eyes narrowed as he snarled and now Amy was definitely trembling. Actually, it was more like shaking.

She closed her eyes and I saw a stray tear break free and fall down her face. "I'm sorry..." Her voice was softer than a whisper. I had to read her lips to realize what she had said. Why was she apologizing, though? The others were the ones being harsh for no reason!

"Guys, c'mon. I know she wasn't invited, but we don't have to..." A small hand fell on my arm and I looked down to see Sandy shake his head slowly.

"I'm sorry..." Amy's voice came out stronger and as her eyes opened, I saw that they had cleared. She gave me a sad smile. "Thanks for the invite, Jack, but I knew better." Then she actually _bowed._ "I apologize for troubling you, but can one of you make a portal for me to go home with?"

"Heh. Heh. Heh. Heh." Bunny scratched his chest and smiled smugly. "My pleasure." He tapped his foot twice, opening a hole in the ground. "Now choof off, ya bloody galah."

The winged-girl nodded and set her gift down. "Goodbye..." Her eyes found me. "Thank you for everything, Jack..." Then she shot up. She seemed suspended on her back high up in the air for a moment, her body curved as she began to dive downward. Then she shot downward and time seemed to resume.

"NO! Amy!" I began to race forward, but before I made it more than a step, she was swallowed up by the hole. I stood, my breathing ragged, as I stared at where the flower stood on the ground that had just closed up. She had hardly said a handful of words. So why...?

"Why...?" I wondered who had asked that until I realized it had been me.

"Jack, you don't know that...?" Tooth's hand tried to turn me to face them, but I jerked it off.

"There's a lot of things I don't know..." Suddenly, something in me snapped. I spun and felt my body shaking as I yelled at 'my fellow guardians.' "I don't know why you treated her like that! Yeah, she's not a guardian. Who cares?! She's a good person! She's just lonely. Just lonely...lonely and wanting a...a..."

"Friend?" North looked at me with a kind sadness in his eyes. "You relate to her, Jack?" I nodded, not trusting myself to keep it together. "Jack, she is not one of us." He raised a hand before I could go off again. "I do not mean her not being guardian. It is true she is not one, but this is not why we push her away. Manny has told us a prediction about her..."

That got my attention. "What kind of prediction?"

Sandy let some dream sand float between us. It materialized into a winged girl. The creation wasn't specific enough to be Amy, but I knew it was meant to be her. I leaned in closer to watch her. On one side appeared the moon and the other side showed Pitch. The figure looked between the two, seeming unsure. Sandy released more sand, loosely forming the four of them. The girl bounded over and joined them beneath the moon. It seemed fine, until Pitch's miniature double extended his hand and the girl seemed unsure as she faced him, shaking her head. She turned back to the guardians, but as she did, the guardians vanished. She turned back to Pitch and he coaxed her and then she reached forward taking his hand. I watched in horror as all the sand lost its forms and fell away. Sandy looked at me helplessly.

"There's no way that's right... There's no way! She's a good person! She wouldn't side with Pitch." I looked at North to agree with me.

He nodded gravely, but I knew that nod was only confirming what I feared. "Manny fears that if she joins us, it will make her join Pitch in the end somehow. We can not allow this. Guardian or not, she is a powerful being. We can not allow Pitch to have such power. Jack, we do not cast her aside because we choose to, but out of necessity."

Tooth darted forward and nodded. "Jack, it's too dangerous. Besides, she isn't dedicated solely to children like we are. She uses her powers on everyone and she uses them when she decides she should. It's too much freedom. It's too much power."

I couldn't believe this. Just when I had started to think I was truly becoming a guardian, truly starting to belong, they threw all this at me. "She uses her powers responsibly. She made kids believe in me!"

That seemed to surprise them. "Watcha talkin bout, mate?"

I didn't even see how it mattered at this point. "These kids didn't believe in me. She told them some stuff and they believed in me. We all built a snow man and danced in the snow." I felt a smile on my face. When had I started smiling? "It was fun..." My eyes scanned the ground, not wanting to see the pity and bitterness in their faces. That's when I saw the gift Amy had brought Bunny.

I scooped it up with my staff and gently pulled the edge of the ribbon until it came loose. The ribbon fluttered down to the ground and the feathers fanned out revealing a glass egg inside.

That wasn't even the incredible part.

Inside the egg was a white three-dimensional picture of Bunny giving an Easter egg to Sophie. She had the happiest smile on her face. Amy's words echoed in my head.

_"They're my special eyes. When I use them, I can see into a person's heart. I can see all kinds of things, but it's easiest to see who the person cares about the most. That's how I chose Bunny's gift."_

"Wow..." Behind me, the other guardians were making assorted noises of amazement as well. She must have gone through so much trouble to make it...for someone who told her to basically get lost as soon as he saw her.

"Here." I threw the egg to Bunny and he caught it in his paws, surprised. The feathers from it had fallen to the ground and they looked like a huge snowflake. Coincidence? Maybe. "Oh. This too." I took the bag from my pocket and threw it to him. He blinked and opened it up revealing carrots with snowflakes carved into them. I'm not creative at this kind of stuff, but I thought it was an alright gift.

"Thanks, mate." He plucked one out and, after briefly admiring the snowflakes, began to munch on it. "Now, c'mon. Let's go enjoy the party!" He hopped off, followed by Tooth and North who were talking. Sandy shrugged sadly and walked after them. I looked to the flower once more before following after them. I swore after the party I'd find Amy and I'd make sure she was alright.

* * *

Amala sat in a tree, softly crying. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! IT WASN'T FAIR! She sobbed and pressed her hands to her face, trying to muffle her wracking sobs.

She was cupid. It was her job to open people's hearts and to help people find love. So why couldn't she be loved? She had stupidly thought she could be friends with Jack, but after seeing the guardians' reactions, she knew they'd talk him out of it. All because of some prediction the moon made, but none them would even tell her what the prediction was.

Amala saw light filter down on to her and she looked up at the bright moon. It hung there, silently observing her heartbroken weeping. "Why...?" Her voice came out raspy and weak from crying. "Why?!" She stood up, balancing easily on the skinny branch, shrieking at the moon. "Why did you decide I would spread love and friendship and then decide I don't deserve to be loved or have friends? How is that fair? My center is love, yet I can never experience it?" Her voice broke and she clung to the trunk of the tree, sobbing her broken heart out. The moon remained silent as she cried and cried. Tears poured down her cheeks until she felt like she had no more tears left in her and she just made hiccuping sounds softly in the aftermath of her crying.

Slowly, black clouds spread across the sky to block out the moon as her breathing calmed down.

"It really isn't fair..."

Amala sniffled and looked up when she heard the silky voice. She looked around, but didn't see anyone. Where had the voice come from?

"You poor thing..." The ominous voice seemed to speak from the shadows. Amala sat on her branch preparing herself when a man appeared out of the shadows. "Hello, my dear..." He took her hand, kissing the back of it. "My name is Pitch Black and I feel such sympathy for you, child. May I ask your name?"

She nodded, wiping at her eyes. "My...my name is Amala. Amy for short."

"Ahhh...a beautiful name..." Amy smiled at Pitch's compliment and he gave her a smile in return. "A beautiful smile as well..." She blinked, startled, then she snapped open her wings and dropped to the ground. As soon as she landed, Pitch appeared out of the shadows, grinning at her.

"What do you want?" She looked at him, a fire burning in her narrowing eyes.

Pitch smirked. "I want the same thing you do. I want to show the guardians that they aren't the only ones with power. They aren't the only ones who make the rules. Come now, my dear. Isn't it unfair how they won't let you in their little club? Why are you the only one on the outs? Because the moon said you'd make friends outside of their little circle? Does that sound fair to you?"

Amy looked down, her eyes searching the darkness. "No...it's not..."

Thin fingers reached forward and tucked some hair behind her ear. "You don't need to be afraid anymore..."

"I'm not afraid!" Amy looked up at him fiercely.

A slow, devious smile spread across Pitch's face. "Oh, but you are, my dear..." He began to pace around her as he spoke. "You're afraid the guardians will never accept you and that you'll never have true friends." Amy's eyes widened as he spoke aloud the fears she had never even been willing to admit to herself. "You're afraid that no one will ever love you, even when you open your heart to others and love them." He paused behind her and leaned toward her, whispering in her ear. "But most of all, you're afraid that the boy who you fell in love with at first sight won't love you back or want anything to do with you."

That did it. "Shut up!" Amy shrieked and spun, bringing her leg out wide to slam it into Pitch's chest, sending him flying backwards into a tree. "Stop it!" She crumpled to the ground helplessly. "Please...just stop..."

Pitch stood back up and smiled. He always knew everyone's worst fears and, thus, their greatest weaknesses. This girl was no different. "I'll stop, Amala, but let me make you an offer before I leave. You are afraid of these things, this is true, but you aren't helpless. Amala you have the power to conquer these fears." He approached her and offered her his hand. "I have the ability to see a person's darkest fears, and you the ability to see their deepest desires. Together, we would be unstoppable."

Amy looked up at him, sadly. "I want to be loved, not feared."

"But you _can_ be!" Pitch grinned. "The guardians are strong, but their newest little member is uncertain at the moment. He has seen the way they treat you. He doesn't want to be like that. You could bring him to our side. The three of us could rule the world. Think about it... You would not only be loved, but by the man who you love..."

Amy closed her eyes. To actually be loved...and by Jack Frost...the boy who had made her heart race the moment she laid eyes on him...the boy she loved...

A slender hand grasped the offered gray one. "I'm in."

* * *

**There's chapter three. My biggest worry was getting Bunny right, so hopefully I did a decent job. Well, lemme know what you think and I'll try to update soon!**


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